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“Of course.” She said with a delighted squeal. “It’s one of those machines that give answers to questions. They seem to pop up all over the place. It’s almost as though we’re fated to find one – usually when we most need one. I think it’s called a diabolical, or something like that.”

“Oracle.” Magnuss corrected her. “The Fountain of Knowledge, so-to-speak. It will offer to answer any question we care to ask.”

Hair-Trigger didn’t bother responding: instead she spoke directly the electro-mechanical apparition: “Where are we and how do we find somebody?”

“Excuse me?” A huge voice echoed around the cavernous room. “That was a surprise. It’s just that I haven’t heard a question in so long that you caught me in hibernation mode. I don’t get to answer a single question in years, then, kerpow, two turn up at the same time.”

“Here’s a third one.” Magnuss snapped. “Why hasn’t anyone asked you a question any time recently?”

“Because,” the Oracle sobbed, “no one needs me any more. That big-headed know-it-all, Doctor Adolf Wiel-Barrau, took them all away to his new super-duper facility beneath the lovely Black Tower. And don’t ask me what he did with them: I don’t know. No one has ever come back to tell me. Wait – where are you going?”

But, of course, the Oracle received no answer to its question: his two questioners had departed…

They now stood before a pair of identical doors that probably led to different places. Well so thought the intrepid duo.

“We’ll split up.” Magnuss suggested. “That way we’ll cover more ground. You take the right door: I’ll take the left. Shout if you find something interesting. And if you’re captured, bound, and gagged – break wind really loudly; it’ll echo down these corridors like a fog horn – and I’ll come running to rescue you.”

As they stepped through the doors together, Magnuss wasn’t surprised (and was a tad disappointed) to find himself in a shadowy place…

But, conversely, Hair-Trigger was delighted to discover an ancient stone edifice, complete with huge, uneven, steps that led downwards…

“How lovely.” She said appreciatively. “It reminds me of my first home with that heroically boastful ex-husband of mine – Hunting Provost…”

And if Magnuss had known that he was being watched…

…he would have been less than impressed. But he wasn’t alone in that situation…

Security CCTV Monitoring Technician, Slomo Chewings, had spotted the intruders; and she was already reaching for the alarm button.